Christmas Cheer
by Floss
Summary: Feeling restless and somewhat left out Sirius decides to go on a little Christmas walkabout and meets a girl.
1. Chapter one

**Disclaimer: I am not J.K.Rowling. I make no money from this. I am just an extremely bored person who didn't enjoy decorating her Christmas tree this year, this is the result.**

Chapter one.

The Christmas Holidays were always bad for Sirius. Lily, James and Remus always had their families to go to. He'd tag along with James of course. But spending time with another person's family is never the same as spending it with your own. No one's family was anything like Sirius's. While he couldn't say that he loved them, or missed them especially, it would have been nice to spend Christmas with his own family. Well if they had all been lobotomised that is.

Which is why, on the Christmas of their first year out of Hogwarts, he decided to skip on the festivities and have a little fun on his own. He trotted off one night, a few days before the big day. He'd left James a note of course, no use worrying his best friend. He wasn't entirely sure James would miss him straight away anyway. He had Lily to think about, they had agreed that this would be the last year they spent with their families, come the New Year they'd start looking for a house of their own.

The air had a chill to it as he scampered along on four legs. It was much more conspicuous as a lone dog wandering the darkening winter streets. The wind whipped around him, buffeting his fur and urging him on. There was a smell of frost in the air, it wouldn't do to stay outside for long even if he was an almost fully qualified wizard.

He turned down yet another lonely street. The houses were all lit up like something out of a postcard, and he could see families gathered together in the windows. Fairy lights twinkled all over, doubled in the reflective surface of too much tinsel.

He loved decorating the tree, listening to carols as he skipped around the room trailing angel hair behind him. All the baubles twirling, catching the light of so many candles dotted around the room. James's family always had a huge tree. It was always real of course, none of that plastic nonsense that most muggles went in for. Real trees always smelt better to his doggy nose. He remembered being at Lily's one year, the smell of her musty old, plastic tree almost ruined his Christmas.

The great black dog stopped outside one house, at the end of the street. The lights were on, but the twinkle of fairy lights was missing. He could hardly see any tinsel, or baubles. There was no jolly fat man pretending to climb the side of the house. No cut out reindeer waiting patiently on the roof, pulling a two dimensional sleigh. No Christmas spirit whatsoever.

He sat on the pavement on the opposite side of the street. How could anyone leave it this late without decorations? There was only a week left until Christmas day. He could tell that there was no one in the house yet, there was no movement whatsoever. Not even a hint of an inhabitant. He decided to wait and see what kind of Scrooge could live here. Maybe he'd even give them a bit of a fright, the dog of Christmas past, present and yet to come.

He settled into the shadows, keeping close to the hedge as a way of getting some kind of warmth. He was lucky not to have to wait long, the owner of the house came swiftly round the corner just as he thought his tail was going to freeze and fall off. She was young, not much older than him. She was quite pretty and would give the girls at Hogwarts a run for their money, but there was an air of sadness about her too. It drifted towards him on the chill breeze.

So what was her problem?

Sirius waited until she entered the house before he went any closer. As she closed the door he padded across the street, jumped the short hedge and snuck up to the window. He jumped up on his hind legs, resting his front paws on the sill. He could see the girl now and the sadness surrounded her.

She was slumped on the sofa, her head in her hands. He could tell from the way her shoulders shook that she was crying. All around her people were celebrating with their families, yet here she was miserable and alone. The dog part of him whined and scratched at the window, but she either couldn't hear him or didn't care.

He continued to watch her. Hoping that she would eventually look up, see him, and let him in to keep her company. He had been practicing his adorable puppy look for a while and knew that now was the time to use it,

The girl started and stood up. If she had been a dog her fur would have been up and her teeth bared. Sirius knew that something had startled her but couldn't think what. Then he saw. A man entered the room. Sirius knew his type just by the way he walked. It was the same way his uncle walked. Proud, determined, but above all else controlled. This was not a man to be messed with.

Their voices were muffled but he knew from the stance of the girl that a fight was about to break out. He barked and jumped at the window. But they ignored him. The man waved his arms, over gesturing and pointing accusingly at the girl. His voice was raised, Sirius could hear him clearly now. None of what he said was in the least bit festive, there was no goodwill to all men in any of his words. The girl was backing away, making for the door. Her antagonist saw this though and quickly blocked her way.

Sirius hopped down from the sill and ran to the door. It was locked, he pushed against it anyway knocking his nose hard. He'd have a headache in the morning. He took off round the side of the house, searching for a back door. It was no use, that too was locked. He jumped up against the door, trying to see through the blurred pane of glass, as far as he could tell their backs were to him. He shifted back into man shaped and ran against the door, knocking it clean off its hinges his first attempt.

In seconds he was a dog again, tearing through the kitchen, dining room, and hall before finally reaching the front room. The man was blazing now, his hands were tightly pulled fists. Sirius knew he'd probably come off the worst in this fight if he were human, he thanked Merlin he'd had the sense to change before he ran in. As the man moved towards the girl Sirius leapt. He landed on the man's back growling and spitting for all he was worth. But he was thrown off. He landed with a thud and a yelp but didn't stay down for long. Sirius shot up and plunged his teeth into the man's leg.

It was the man's turn to yelp now. The dog let go and rounded him so he was standing in front of the girl. Shielding her. It growled and bared its teeth, daring the man to make a move.

"Got a mutt now have you?" he muttered. "Well lucky for you I've got somewhere I need to be."

The man stormed out, slamming the front door behind him.

The girl fell onto the couch exhausted. The blood was drained from her face, leaving her pale and washed out.

"Hey." she said. "You turned up in the nick of time pup. I dunno why but thanks. You want some chow? I'm sure I've got something nice and meaty here."

Sirius dropped his hackles and wagged his tail. It would be nice to eat something to get rid of the taste of dirty trouser and unwashed leg. All the adrenaline had improved his already healthy appetite.

"Come on then." she said getting up. "You might have just saved my life but there's no way I'm letting you slobber over my nice, clean rug

Sirius followed as she trudged out to the kitchen. The house was all hard wood floors, making it feel colder than it was. It also made it difficult for him to follow, he slipped and slid most of the way to the kitchen.

The girl opened the fridge and stared at the contents.

"Well little buddy what do you fancy?"

Sirius nudged her right leg out of the way, trying to get a better look at what would be his hero's reward.

"I'm afraid I haven't got much in, haven't had time to go shopping. Or anything really. How about some cold chicken? Will that do for now? And maybe some hot milk. But there's not much left, oh well we'll just have to share. How does that sound?"

Sirius barked, his tail wagging faster.

"I'll take that as a yes."

She took what she need from the fridge and kicked the door shut with her foot. Sirius backed away slightly as she put the plate of chicken on the floor for him. Sure it wasn't a Hogwarts Christmas dinner, but right now it smelt delicious.

"Come here you, let me see your tags."

She reached behind his head, trying to find his collar and i.d tags. No luck, the dog didn't have any.

"You a stray? Me too, well sort of. So what'll I call you?" she cocked her head to the side, studying the dog. "Looks like you're a boy. How about Brutus?"

Sirius made a disapproving noise. Brutus? What on earth was she thinking?

"Duke? No. Uh how about Blaidd? You look like a Blaidd."

Well it was better than nothing he supposed, Sirius thought as he wagged his tail once more.

"Ok then Blaidd, my names Delyth. And that charming gentleman was my step dad. We don't get on, as you might have guessed."

Delyth moved about the kitchen, taking a pan out of one cupboard, a bowl out of another and a mug off the side. She poured a measure of milk into the mug and the rest into the bowl.

"Here you go," she said setting it down on the floor alongside the plate of chicken. "It's not all that warm. I'm too tired to wait."

Blaidd finished off the chicken before gulping down the milk. He finished before Delyth and sat licking his lips as she slowly sipped her drink.

"I think I'll head off to bed. As much as I'd like to stay up and talk, it's been a long day. We'll figure out what to do with you tomorrow."

Delyth set her mug down on the side and walked out of the kitchen, she scratched behind Blaidd's ear before she left, stifling a yawn with the other hand.

"Been a real long day."

Sirius waited by the backdoor until he was sure she was upstairs. It didn't seem like she had noticed the door. He'd fix it, then leave. He transformed back into man shape once more, and quickly fitted the door back into the frame. He was thankful for some skills he had picked up from James's father, hanging a door being one of them. In no time the door was as good as new. He replaced the screwdriver back in its convenient home of a basket of odds and ends on the counter top and moved to leave.

There was a noise upstairs and he stopped in his tracks. Delyth was coming back down. He panicked, instead of fleeing he transformed back into a dog.

"Sorry bud, I almost forgot about you."

In her arms she carried two large blankets. She dropped to her knees and folded one up.

"Come on. Lay down." she said patting the blanket.

Sirius hesitated. More than anything he didn't want to be stuck here. But his only escape was shut tight and the frost was already crystallising on the grass outside. He stepped onto the blanket, turned three times and lay down.

"There we go." Delyth said as she placed the other blanket on top of him. "Can't have my favourite boy getting frost bite now can I?"

* * *

I have no idea where I'm going with this but I thought I'd post it anyway. Hope you like it. Happy Holidays!


	2. Chapter two

Chapter two.

Sirius spent the night in comfort. His doggy mind was satisfied to have a full stomach and a warm bed. His mind did wander briefly to his friends and what they might be doing.

The house with no hint of Christmas felt alien to him, as if he were on another planet. James would no doubt be sat beside a toasty fire with his close family, roasting chestnuts and watching some sappy muggle movie. Lily would be wrapping presents that she had bought that day, a mess of paper surrounding her. She really was hopeless at wrapping presents. And Remus, he would be curled up in a quiet corner indulging his annual Dickens consumption, A Christmas Carol glued to his hands his eyes never leaving the page. Of course without Sirius there would be no raucous carol singing. There would probably be no never-ending supply of heavily buttered pop corn at James's. No tangle of ribbons at Lily's. And certainly no fun to speak of at Remus's. What on earth had he been thinking? To leave all that, for this. He had abandoned his friends at this, the most special time of year.

He debated leaving, transforming back to his usual form and slipping out of the back door. The blankets were too soft however, and snuggled deep within he found it hard to muster up the enthusiasm to save his friends from their hopeless attempts at frivolity. They'd manage one night without him, he'd be a far better festive hero in the morning, after a good nights sleep.

When he did wake the next day he wasn't entirely sure that he wasn't still dreaming. The smells that filled the air were phenomenal, making his nose twitch with excitement. He could smell a goose, albeit a small one, roasting in the oven. A pan was on the stove, steaming the windows up and giving him a tremendous cause to drool. Mulled wine. Merlin be praised for the wonder that was mulled wine

"Ah you're up I see. Well I suppose you deserved a lie in. I've been out and got us some grub. Thought I'd best make the effort now that I have company for the holidays." Delyth said as she turned off the stove, leaving the wine to cool slightly.

Well that settled it for Sirius. He was company. Delyth had bought food especially. He couldn't leave now, and let it all got to waste. It would be rude, most un-gentlemanly. First and foremost Sirius was always a gentleman, especially when it came to food. He'd help her eat all she had first, then get back and rescue his friends from their lonely Christmas's without him.

"We've got goose tonight, thought I'd give it a whirl. I've never had it before. I'll bet you'll enjoy it eh? You'd eat anything wouldn't you? And tomorrow I've got a ham. We'll boil that up and then slow roast it with a honey and cider baste, like my dad used to cook. And of course I got a turkey. He's not very big, poor chap. But I couldn't really afford a big one. Besides it's just me and you. I'm not sure we'll get through all the food before the New Near. I ended up with a truck load, what with the vegetables and the puddings. Can't have Christmas without Christmas pudding, can we?"

Sirius licked his lips in expectation. It was going to be a feast. It almost sounded better than the Hogwarts Christmas feast, but he'd reserve judgement until he had sampled both. It was only fair to Delyth.

"Oh and a guy's dropping the tree round later. It's a pretty pathetic sort really. Last one on the lot. I was lucky to get it. They were about to put it through the chipper. But it'll suit us just fine. So we can decorate that later. What d'ya say Blaidd, fancy getting into the Christmas spirit?"

Sirius barked, jumped and wagged his tail, giving him the look that he was about to take off any second. Now this was more like it. This was what he was after, someone who really knew how to celebrate. He'd found the woman of his dreams, his own Mrs Christmas. She had obviously been saving all her Christmas cheer to really have a blow out.

"Right then, what we need is some music. So what do you say, traditional or something a bit funky?"

Delyth rummaged about in the bags littered along the counter tops, and pulled out two c.d.s. Sirius jumped up, resting his front paws on the marble effect surface. How could he choose?

"We've got some male voice choir singing traditional Christmas carols. Or this mixed one. It's got Rockin' Robin, and Lonely this Christmas. Oh and Santa Baby. Should be good for dancing round the kitchen."

The dog jumped back down onto four legs and began to chase his tail. He loved dancing around the kitchen to Rockin' Robin. Who didn't?

"Dancing round the kitchen it is."

The house was filled with music, and finally some Christmas cheer. Sirius was having a whale of a time, scampering round the kitchen as Delyth cooked. He was of course helping. He tried every spoonful of food she offered him, checking that it was fully cooked and not poisoned by some evil, invisible Christmas fairy. Occasionally he tried to sing along to the music but the effect was sadly lacking. While his human voice was naturally beautiful and loved by all, his dog voice made Delyth cringe several times.

"Ok pup I think you need to calm down a bit. You'll have the neighbours complaining."

There was a ring at the door bell, swiftly followed by some very loud knocking.

"See I told you." she said, wiping her hands on a tea towel.

She made her way to the door, her company for the holiday period followed with his tail between his legs. A sorrowful expression crossed the proud dog's face. It was Christmas, he couldn't help getting excited. Delyth opened the door, ready to apologise profusely to her neighbour.

"Got a tree here for Delyth Evans."

"Oh great, could you bring it in?"

In a short time the tree was set up in the corner of the living room. Delyth hadn't been lying, it was a pitiful looking thing. Sirius decided to give it a magical helping hand as soon as he could. He doubted the thing would last the week if he didn't.

"Right, I know you're a dog and its only your natural instinct but if I find you cocking your leg against my tree I'll have you fixed, you hear?"

Sirius looked from the tree to the woman in front of him. Truth be told he'd been holding in the urge to go for some time now. He headed for the back door.

"Where you going?" Delyth called.

He sat in front of the door, whining and scratching at it. Delyth soon followed.

"Okay that's strange. It's like you understood me. I mean I know you understand me but….weird. Okay out you go then. Let me know when you want in again."

She opened the door and Sirius burst out, barely waiting for the door to open fully. He wouldn't be long, the ground beneath his feet was still crunchy despite the appearance of the midday sun. his panting breath came out in clouds. He was sure his business would freeze on leaving his body. He finished quickly, not wanting to be out any longer than he had to.

Once again he scratched at the door, but there was no reply. He padded along to the window, trying to see where Delyth was and why she was ignoring him but there was no sign of her. He went back to the door and did his favourite trick. He jump up at the door, his right paw hitting the handle. It bounced up, not opening. He tried again, this time keeping his weight on the handle. Bingo, it opened up. He trotted back in feeling immensely proud of himself just as Delyth came back into the kitchen.

"What on earth?"

Sirius just wagged his tail as he nudged the door shut with his nose

"You know I'm beginning to wonder about you Blaidd. You're way too clever for your own good. I suppose that's how you got in last night right?"

Sirius barked and nodded his head.

"And now you're nodding at me. I should put you on television. I'd make a mint." she said jokingly. "Come and see what I've found."

She patted her thigh for the dog to follow her and walked out of the kitchen, heading for the front room. On the rug in the middle of the room was a battered, old, brown suitcase. Delyth knelt in front of it and flicked the locks. As she lifted the lid dust flew into the air, causing Sirius to sneeze.

"Been a long time since I had these out. All my old Christmas decorations, from when I was a kid. Let's decorate this tree, maybe it'll look a bit better with some baubles and tinsel."

Sirius yipped in agreement. After eating Christmas food, decorating the tree was his favourite festive activity. Not that he could actually join in this time. Delyth was good enough to ask him his opinion however. She even let him choose what should go on the top of the tree: a raggedy angel or a battered star. Sirius chose the star, the angel only had one eye and hardly filled him with joy to look at. It wasn't long before the tree was fully dressed, far from improving it, it now just looked bedraggled and too small for it's fittings.

"I know they're not much cop. I had to rescue them from the dump. My mum chucked them after my dad died. She hates Christmas now. Never used to. We used to have so much fun at Christmas. We'd all be together, and we'd be happy. It was like out of those old films. Where everyone loves everyone else, and it always snows at the end. It's not like that anymore. I'll have to move again soon. Shame really. I thought I could be happy here."

Delyth stood back and looked at the tree. A small tear was pricking the corner of her eye.

"What a bunch we are. You, me and this tree. I'd feel sorry for us if I was anyone else. Oh well, the goose should be done. Let's eat Blaidd. I got gallons of ice cream at the shops, we'll have some for pudding later. I could do with some comfort food."

They sat on the floor in front of the tree to eat their supper, having had nothing else all day they were both famished though neither had realised it until they started eating. The night started to draw in, the world outside the front room window grew progressively darker. Before long nothing lit the small room but the old fairy lights, most of their covers were broken and the colours were harsh all pink and orange. The street light outside did little to improve things. The pale glow it cast barely reached the window, all it lit was a small semi circle behind the couch.

Delyth soon feel asleep where she sat, leaning slightly to the side with her back against the couch. Sirius moved behind the couch and pulled the curtains shut with his teeth. He nudged the switch of the fairy lights with his nose so that they switched off, not wanting the already miserable tree to catch fire because of faulty electrics. Finally he pulled a blanket from the back of the couch, and tucked it around Delyth. He lay down at her side, his body heat would keep her warm if the blanket didn't. Outside he could hear the far off voices of Christmas carollers down the street. One male voice rose above the rest, singing his favourite.

"Silent night, holy night."

Sirius closed his eyes and let the voice send him off to sleep, the woman beside him gently snoring.

* * *

Forgot to mention that Blaidd means wolf in Welsh xo 


	3. Chapter three

**Bit late I know. What can I say the mean people in work think I'm good at selling stuff so I was in everyday up until Christmas day. And then I was lazy and did nothing but sit on my butt. But New Year, new post haha!**

Chapter three.

Sirius's dreams were fitful that night. Filled with ghostly carol singers, and bright shiny boxes that could never be opened. He woke the next day with the hymns still running through his head, to find himself alone. The whole house was cold, the tree remained unlit and the curtains still pulled. Delyth was no longer beside him.

He sniffed around the downstairs, finding that there was barely a trace of her. He paused at the foot of the stairs, he had yet to go up there, having had no need before now. It seemed like some invasion of her privacy to go up there now. He hadn't been invited in in the first place. This was the last barrier to cross. Though he was hesitant to do so he loped up the stairs. He just wanted to know that she was alright, then he'd go back down. Following his nose he found her scent on the room at the end of the landing, at the front of the house.

No light came from under the door frame, and if it wasn't for his improved hearing he would have thought the room was empty. He could hear her soft breathing, slow and sorrowful. She wasn't asleep, not just yet. He scratched at the bottom of the door. He couldn't bring himself to repeat his performance with the kitchen door again, not to get into her room. But there was no answer.

Sirius scratched again, and whined softly, he didn't want to disturb her this was just to let her know that, in his own way, he was there. He heard her move then. Turn over. The bed springs creaked and she groaned softly.

"Leave me alone."

He scratched harder. It was Christmas, a time when no one should have to be alone, nor should they want to be.

"I said leave me alone mutt!"

Her tone was warning, almost angry. If he were a smaller dog he'd probably have cowered away, frightened that she might hurt him. But the big, black dog simply barked, and took off along the landing, bounding noisily down the stairs. She knew where he was if he needed her.

Sirius spent the day much like Delyth did upstairs. In silence. He couldn't do anything un-doglike, watching the television for example, for fear of disturbing her. So he roamed the house for a while. Looking at the few static photographs dotted around her small home.

They were mostly of a small girl and a man you would assumed was her father. The resemblance was to close for him to be anything else. In each photo the girl's face was plastered with a huge grin. Sirius knew the girl was Delyth, but he found it hard to believe that even as a small girl she could grin that widely. He had seen very little the past few days to hint to him that she had ever been happy. The little girl's eyes practically shined with happiness, Delyth's eyes were now so cold no one would have believed that they could have held so much joy.

Lunch time came and went, Sirius's stomach protested loudly at being inconvenienced. By now he would be stuffed full of goodies. It was unusual for him not to have gorged himself on cakes and cookies the day before Christmas.

He knew there was little in the way of leftovers in the fridge. He had helped himself to so many helpings at meal times that there was barely enough to satisfy a mouse left. Of course being a "dog" he wouldn't even know where to start cooking the large ham that was in the fridge. Not that he would have minded eating it raw normally. The words Delyth had spoke when she showed it to him still rang in his ears.

"Honey and Cider glazed ham."

It would be an injustice to eat it raw now.

There was only one thing for it. Garbage. His friends had often commented that he was the wizarding equivalent of a garbage disposal. Time to prove them right. He padded through the kitchen, performed his little trick on the door, and was once again out it the great, wide world. He sniffed doubtfully at Delyth's rubbish bins. He knew full well that there was nothing in there to interest him. On to the neighbours bins instead then.

He jumped the low fence that separated the gardens and took a sniff at the air. The people who lived next door were obviously not short of money from the smells that escaped into the garden. Mulled wine, quite a good vintage by the smell, hot Cider - and not the cheap stuff. A joint of beef roasting slowly. His luck was in. These people obviously had money to spare, as such they're trash would be extraordinary. Sirius licked his lips as he started to drool. He'd eat well tonight, even if it was on what someone had thrown away.

He crept up to the bins, they were just outside the back door and under the kitchen window. While there was no one in the kitchen just yet, if they did enter the room they'd see him straight away. He had to be sneaky. His nose rounded the bins, getting a good feel for what was inside.

Oh praise Merlin, they'd thrown out half a duck! Most of the time Sirius despised rich people. They were so wasteful, never realising how little other people lived on. At the moment however he would gladly give each member of this household a big sloppy dog kiss.

He jumped at the side of the bin, pushing the contents around with his snout in an attempt to find the prize bird hidden somewhere within. In his increasing frenzy he began knocking all manner of rubbish to the ground. Damned if the duck didn't have to be at the bottom. He leaned deeper in, a few more inches and he'd have it. His balance was off now, on his very tiptoes he continued to root about in the bin, there seemed to be a bit of veg hanging around down there too. It would make a nice side dish.

There was an almighty crash, not realising he was responsible Sirius continued to forage for goodies. He had finally got the duck by the leg and was working on pulling it out when he heard shouting.

"Bloody strays! Oi! Get out of it."

Sirius turned to discover he was the stray being addressed. He turned tail and bounded for the low fence at the back of the property, duck leg clamped firmly in his jaw. He laid low for a while, not wanting to incriminate Delyth with his presence. But the day soon turn frosty, so he sloped to his temporary home and the warmth he hoped it would bring.

Delyth was still barricaded in her room. He climbed the stairs once more to check on her. The same soft, slow breathing sounded beneath her door frame. At least she was still alive. A minor Christmas miracle. He decided that now was the time to explore the upstairs part of the house. He'd been patient, or at least his own shortened version of patient. If she wouldn't come out, well then he'd have to have a snoop around. Only for something to do of course.

There was a box room next to Delyth's bedroom. Filled with the usual junk that people dumped in rooms they could find no use for. And old bike, dusty sheets, and other such useful items. The bathroom was next along. Even though in his current state he had no use for the room, Sirius decided to have a nose anyway. Like the rest of the house it was small, cramped. White tiles lined the walls, a blue pattern ran through in places. Mismatched towels hung on the back of an old chair and shampoo bottles were dotted around the room.

There was one other door on the landing. It smelt musty, had he not been bored he might have skipped this door. There was very little about it that was inviting. All the same the black dog jumped and knocked the handle, then nudged the door open with his snout. It creaked as it opened, Sirius realised that this was the door to the attic. Even at Christmas, a season full of joy and light, he could not be tempted to walk through a creaky door, up a flight of stairs that were bound to be just as creaky and into a strange attic. He had seen his parents attic once. The sight put him off reliving the experience with other people's attics.

He was saved, luckily, by shuffling coming from Delyth's room. She was finally getting up. Sirius scampered softly to the box room. He didn't wanted to be caught upstairs, especially when he had been snooping. He glimpsed the girl as she crossed to the bathroom, she couldn't see him hiding behind the door. He moved out, intending to go downstairs. Yet, he thought, he been so far. Why not finish? He slunk into her bedroom, feeling guilty as soon as he crossed the threshold. Rude, nosy, not polite.

Turning to leave he came face to, well, muzzle with Delyth.

"I was wondering where you had got to. Took you long enough to get in here. I thought you were some kind of wonder dog."

She moved past him and got back into bed.

"It's freezing," she said pulling the covers back. "Come on, jump in. The last thing I need is a dead dog at Christmas on my conscience."

Sirius did as he was bid. She was right the house was cold. But he was beginning to not notice it so much.

"I'm sorry I'm such poor company. My dad died at Christmas. I haven't really enjoyed it since. It just seems like a better idea to spend the time in bed. With the curtains pulled I can almost pretend the world outside doesn't exist. Except when the sun comes out, it always gets in through the cracks. I wish it wouldn't. But what can you do? I think I'll go back to sleep. You don't snore do you?"

She closed her eyes and left Sirius to wonder what it was like to love a parent. To lose them, and then not want to celebrate with the rest of humanity. He couldn't quite fathom it.

Christmas morning dawned crisp and fresh. Sirius snuggled closer to the warm body next to him. There was a chill in the air and the quilt covering them wasn't quite big enough. The body next to him groaned and burrowed deeper into his chest. She yawned, and squinted one eye open.

Delyth knew that something wasn't quite right. Her mind was foggy from sleep, she wasn't entirely sure that she wasn't still dreaming. She fidgeted again, her hands splayed on the body next to her. Now that was definitely not right. She blinked, finally opening both eyes. Staring back at her were two grey eyes, located on a fairly handsome face of a man she did not remember going to bed with.

"Mmm morning." he said, his voice hoarse from lack of use.

Delyth did the only thing she could think of, she screamed and jumped out of the bed as if she had been burnt. She pulled the covers with her, wrapping them around herself. She screamed again as she saw the man was naked.

"Who the hell are you?!" she demanded. She backed away across the floor, heading for the dresser against the wall where she hoped to find something blunt and heavy.

"Oh dear." Sirius said quietly as he got up.

"What are you doing in my bed?" Delyth shouted, her voice getting dangerously high.

"Look don't panic." he said, holding his hands up pleadingly. He then realised he was naked and covered himself.

"Don't panic? Who the hell are you? Where did you come from? Oh god did you drug me?"

"I can explain. I'm Sirius."

"That doesn't explain anything!"

"Well then let me talk!" he snapped.

"Did you rape me?"

"Of course not. This is just, it's going to be difficult to explain. I'm your dog."

"What?"

"I'm Blaidd."

"What?"

"Look I'll show you."

The man in front of her melted away, to be replaced by a shaggy black dog. Delyth muttered a quiet "oh my god." before fainting dead against the wall.

The man reappeared with a pop. He wrapped a sheet round his waist before he lifted Delyth from the floor, placing her gently on the bed.

"Merry Christmas indeed." he muttered as he left the room to get her a glass of water.

* * *

**And a Happy New Year to anyone reading this!**


	4. Chapter four

**Ok so I kind of abandoned this last year. But I recently got into the spirit of the season once again so I thought I'd take another bash at it, picking up from where I left off. Bit of a challenge really as I have no memory of where I was going with this and I think my writing style has changed a bit since last Christmas. That being said, enjoy wonderful people who read this! xoxo**

Chapter four.

With his human self revealed Sirius felt a relief at being able to give up his charade. While he enjoyed being a dog he had to admit that walking around on four legs in the cold did make his back ache. However being able to walk around on two legs now presented him with a problem, he had no clothes. It was all very well to transform and run around at Hogwarts, there were always spare clothes to be found here and there. But in a strange woman's house the problem of clothing himself was all too apparent.

After staying with her for these past few days he was almost sure that she would have no men's clothes lying around. He would just have to make do. He pulled a spare pair of jeans from the wardrobe and the first blue jumper he could find. While he was confident that he could carry off any look, the prospect of a frilly pink jumper made him feel slightly uncomfortable. He didn't even want to think about underwear, there was nothing for it but to go commando. He could only imagine her reaction if she found out he had rifled through her knicker draw. Some women were very touchy about that kind of thing, especially when you didn't know them all that well.

The jumper fit him fairly well, slightly baggy, but he did the lived in look quite well. The jeans were another story altogether. Sirius quickly decided that wearing women's jeans was taking things a step too far, if only she had some running gear. He was out of luck in the clothes department however, the jeans were the only thing he could lay his hands on without hunting for more clothes or pulling the pyjama bottoms from his hostess's prone form. He decided to just own the look he was going for, all great trend setters had to start somewhere. He took a long, surveying look at himself in the mirror that hung from the back of the door.

It wasn't too bad a look. He twisted and turned to check out his angles, how great his arse might look in their new denim home. He was confronted with his own bare behind. The jeans crumpled at his ankles. Not such a good look for nursing a damsel in distress back to health. He would need a belt. He pulled up his trousers and spared a glance at Delyth. His current predicament was all her fault. Damn women, with their curves, and in and out bits. If she were James or Remus the clothes would fit him, he'd be able to do them justice. But no man could ever look good in women's clothes, could they?

Holding up his jeans he shuffled over to the figure on the bed, she was coming round. He watched as she stirred slightly, one hand reaching for her head. She'd given it quite a whack when she slumped against the wall. His fault of course, and something he would have to make up to her. It being Christmas and all he could hardly leave the lonely, half concussed woman now.

"Hey now, careful. Relax. No sudden moves this time. From me either I promise." he soothed as she opened her eyes.

Sirius watched as a range of emotions flicked across her face. Confusion was the one that reoccurred the most. He didn't need to be skilled at legimency to see that the thought that she had bumped her head too hard and had dreamt him changing into a dog race through her mind.

"I guess I have a lot of explaining to do. Let me start off by saying you aren't going mad and you haven't broken anything in your head. Everything I'm going to tell you is true and real. You just have to trust me and it will all be ok. I promise."

Delyth moved to sit up. She pulled what was left of the covers over her body and nodded. She had a distinct lack of trust on her face, but at least she had agreed to listen to him. Sirius would just have to wait and see what her next reaction would be.

"Ok. So I should start off by introducing myself, or else all those etiquette lessons will have been wasted and that would be a shame." he said it with a slight laugh, hoping to inject a bit of humour into the proceedings, to put her at ease.

"My name is Sirius Black, I'm a wizard."

A bark of laughter erupted from Delyth. This was not what Sirius had intended, for her to laugh at him instead of with him.

"Ok now I know you're the crazy one and I'm just fine!"

"No, no. Neither one of us is crazy. I can prove it. Oh wait. I can't. No wand. Damn, you know that's the worse thing about transforming I never have any pockets to put my wand in."

Sirius huffed. Now he was definitely and literally up a creek without a wand.

"Oh you're some wizard alright. Losing your wand, they should throw you out of the magic circle." Delyth teased, laughing once more. She no longer felt threatened by the strange man in her room, wearing, she noticed, the jumper her mother had given her the Christmas before she had left home for good. He was clearly crazy, but mostly harmless.

"There's a circle? How do you join? How do the muggles' know about it for that matter?"

Delyth rolled her eyes, they were getting no-where like this.

"I'm Delyth Ward." she said holding out her hand, and hoping to get things back on track. "And I'm not a wizard, clearly."

"Clearly." Sirius agreed. "You're a muggle."

"A what? What did you just call me?"

"Look it's nothing offensive-"

"So you say-"

"Think of it as a pet name. An affectionate term of endearment." Sirius finished.

"Ok clearly one of us is crazy, and I'm starting to wonder which."

"Why do either of us have to be crazy?"

"Because this isn't a normal conversation. You're talking gibberish as if it's the most normal thing in the world and I'm almost convinced I saw you turn into a dog. Therefore one of us must be crazy."

"No, we're both very, very sane. Look I show you you aren't crazy, and I'll explain myself so that you see that I'm not crazy. Watch."

"No!" she shouted, she grabbed his arm before he could move, her grip vice-like. "Please don't do it again. Just prove you aren't crazy first, then we'll deal with me."

"Right, well like I said my name is Sirius-"

"What kind of name is Sirius anyway?" Delyth interrupted.

"It's a damn fine name. I think I wear it well, don▓t you?"

"Well better then that jumper anyway."

"Look it's not my fault you have bigger boobs than mine. Nor is the fact that you've never encountered my name before. Do you want me to prove I'm not crazy or do you want to keep on having a go at me and interrupting?"

"I'm sorry." Delyth held her hands up in defeat before drawing her knees to her chest a nodding him to continue with his story.

"Ok. I'm a wizard. I can't really prove it at the moment because you won't let me demonstrate in the only way I can without a wand. So this is all going to be a bit difficult. Could you not just believe me for now and I'll prove it later when I get my wand?"

"Where is your wand?" she asked quietly.

Sirius thought a moment. It was hard to say really, it was probably at Hogwarts but that hardly decreased the number of places it could be. Then again James or Remus may have helpfully picked it up for him and put it somewhere safe. Safe places were always the hardest to find though because everyone always forgot where they were. He shrugged.

"Isn't that bad?"

He thought some more. Things usually turned up when he wanted them, and if not he would just replace them. He had never really had a dilemma over missing possessions, especially when he could just borrow someone else's. He shrugged again. Somewhere deep inside, sounding as though some monster was about to escape from within, Sirius's stomach rumbled.

"Are you as hungry as I am?" he asked.

It was Delyth's turn to shrug now.

"I haven't eaten since the day before Christmas eve. And it's Christmas day today!" he said with a realising grin. "That means turkey."

"That means a lot of cooking."

"Merry Christmas Delyth."

"Merry Christmas Sirius."

She couldn't help but laugh as he jumped off the bed and fell to the floor after taking one step and finding her jeans once more around his ankles.

"Let me find you a belt. It'll be my Christmas present to you." she said, stepping over his body and walking towards the wardrobe


End file.
